Chinese carmaker ditches Trumpchi model name to avoid Trump link

Chinese carmaker Guangzhou Automobile Group Co., Ltd. (GAC) is changing its brand name Trumpchi to avoid potential link to US President Donald Trump as it plans to tap the US market next year.

Trumpchi, which sold its first model on the Chinese market on December 12, 2010, has no connection with the US president, according to GAC.

The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that the automobile group wants to be the first Chinese carmaker to enter the US market, and Trumpchi is expected to be one of its most prosperous brands.

However, it was decided to ditch the “Trump” name because it is too politically charged for its US venture, the report said.

Earlier this year, the GAC Motor Design Director Zhang Fan told Reuters: “We saw people were laughing at this and took pictures looking only at this detail, and also put on Facebook or other websites.”

In the case of Trumpchi, however, the name appears simply to be a translation spin-off from its Chinese name which is Chuanqi, which is a play on the word “legendary” and loosely translates as “spreading good fortune.”

After receiving negative feedback, the company decided to change it, said Yu Jun, a senior manager of the group.